brnia 
lal 


UCSB  LfBRARV 


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in  2007  with  funding  from 

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http://www.archive.org/details/brooktroutdetermOObradiala 


THE  BROOK  TROUT 


THE   DETERMINED   ANGLER 


A  little  pocket  volume  containing  several  descriptions  of  a 
fly  fisher's  paradise,  and  a  few  practical  sug- 
gestions for  the  young  angler 


CHARLES  BARKER  BRADFORD 

AUTHOR  OF  "the  WILDFOWLERS,"   BTC 


NEW   YORK 

THE  E.  P.  GROW    PUBLISHING   COMPANY 
RICHMOND  HILL,  LONG  ISLAND 


Ck>FnUOHT,   UOO, 
BY 

THE  E.  P.  GROW  PUBUSHING  CO. 


THE  MEB8H0K  COHFANT   FBB88, 
KO.    166   FIFTH   AVBNUB,    NEW    YORK,    N.Y. 


TO 

J.  CHARLES  DAVIS 

THESE  LITTLE  YARNS  ARE  DEDICATED  IN  REMEMBRANCE 
OF  SOME   DELIGHTFUL    DAYS  PASSED   IN   HIS  SO- 
CIETY,   AND    IN    GRATITUDE    FOR    AN 
UNINTERRUPTED  FRIENDSHIP 
OF  MANY  YEARS. 


...  it  carries  us  into  the  most  wild  and  beautiful 
scenery  of  nature  ;  amongst  the  mountain  lakes,  and  the 
clear  and  lovely  streams  that  gush  from  the  higher  ranges 
of  elevated  hills,  or  that  make  their  way  through  the  cav- 
ities of  calcareous  strata.  How  delightful  in  the  early 
spring,  after  the  dull  and  tedious  time  of  winter,  when 
the  frosts  disappear  and  the  sunshine  warms  the  earth 
and  waters,  to  wander  forth  by  some  clear  stream,  to  see 
the  leaf  bursting  from  the  purple  bud,  to  scent  the  odors 
of  the  bank  perfumed  by  the  violet,  and  enameled,  as  it 
were,  with  the  primrose  and  the  daisy;  to  wander  upon 
the  fresh  turf  below  the  shade  of  trees,  whose  bright  blos- 
soms are  filled  with  the  music  of  the  bee;  and  on  the 
surface  of  the  waters  to  view  the  gaudy  flies  sparkling 
like  animated  gems  in  the  sunbeams,  whilst  the  bright  and 
beautiful  trout  is  watching  them  from  below;  to  hear  the 
twittering  of  the  water-birds,  who,  alarmed  at  your  ap- 
proach, rapidly  hide  themselves  beneath  the  flowers  and 
leaves  of  the  water-lily;  and  as  the  season  advances,  to 
find  all  these  objects  changed  for  others  of  the  same  kind, 
but  better  and  brighter,  till  the  swallow  and  the  trout 
contend  as  it  were  for  the  gaudy  May  fly,  and  till  in  pur- 
suing your  amusement  in  the  calm  and  balmy  evening, 
you  are  serenaded  by  the  songs  of  the  cheerful  thrush 
.  .  .  performing  the  offices  of  paternal  love,  in  thickets 
ornamented  with  the  rose  and  woodbine. — Days  of  Fly 
Fishing,  tSsS. 


"  Gentlemen,  let  not  prejudice  prepossess  you.  I  con- 
fess my  discourse  is  like  to  prove  suitable  to  my  recrea- 
tion, calm  and  quiet.  .  .  And  so  much  for  the  prologue 
of  what  I  mean  to  say." 


-J"**^  /Pi}kMo  n 


AUTHOR'S   ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 

The  article,  "  Fly  Fishing  for  Trout,"  I  con- 
tributed in  its  original  form  to  Sports  Afield,  Mr. 
Claude  King's  Western  journal. 

The  article  "  Trout  and  Trouting,"  as  I  origi- 
nally prepared  it,  was  entitled  "  Near-by  Trout 
Streams,"  and  was  written  for  and  published  in 
Outing,  when  I  was  field  editor  of  that  delightful 
magazine. 

"  Trouting  in  Canadensis  Valley  "  is  rewritten 
from  a  little  story  of  mine  penned  for  the  noted 
angler  and  ichthyologist,  Mr.  William  C.  Harris, 
and  published  by  him  in  The  Avterican  Angler. 

And  most  of  the  items  in  "  Little  Casts "  are 
from  a  collection  of  paragraphs  I  have  contrib- 
uted to  the  New  York  Herald  and  various  sport- 
ing periodicals  in  the  past  dozen  years. 

For  the  little  pen-and-ink  sketches  I  am  indebted 
to  our  jovial  artist,  Leppert. 

The  picture,  "  Taking  the  Fly,"  is  a  reproduc- 
tion from  an  etching  in  my  possession,  presented 
to  me  by  Mr.  William  M.  Carey,  whose  etchings 
and  paintings  in  oil  are  well  known  to  American 
sportsmen. 

"  The  Fly  Rod's  Victim  "  is  reproduced  from  a 


8  Author  s  Acknowledgments. 

photograph  framed  in  birch  bark  and  presented  to 
me  by  the  poet,  Isaac  McLellan. 

"  The  Brook  Trout  "  illustration  is  from  a  pho- 
tograph of  a  captive  specimen  in  an  aquarium,  the 
engraving  being  loaned  me  by  Mr.  John  P.  Burk- 
hard,  publisher  of  Ft'eid  and  Stream. 

Richmond  Hill, 

Long  Island,  N.  Y., 
May  7,  iQoo, 


FLY  FISHING  FOR  TROUT. 

The  variety  of   rivers    require  different  ways   of  an- 
gling.— The  Complete  Angler. 

HE  art  of  catching  fishes  with 
artificial  lures  in  imitation  of 
natural  insects  is  the  most  chiv- 
alric  of  all  methods  of  angling. 
Fishes,  particularly  trout,  often  hook 
themselves  when  they  seize  the  fly  of  a 
fisherman  using  a  pliant  rod  that  will  yield 
and  spring  freely.  As  the  game  strikes, 
the  angler  strikes,  hooking  the  fish  swiftly 
but  delicately  by  a  simple  turn  of  the 
wrist.  The  trout  is  not  flaunted  up  in 
the  air  by  force,  as  some  coarse  perch 
fishermen  lift  their  catch.  The  trout 
fisher  does  not  use  his  arm  at  all  in  hook- 
ing a  trout,  beyond  aiding  the  hand  in 
holding  the  rod  for  the  wrist  to  do  the 
work.  A  practiced  troutman  can  secure 
his  fish  by  moving  his  hand  five  inches — 
a  little  backward  nervous  twist  of  the 
wrist. 


lO  The  Brook   Trout. 

Trout  often  snap  a  fly  and  spit  it  out  so 
quickly  that  the  tyro  does  not  have  a 
chance  to  strike  and  hook  the  prize.  At 
other  times  they  take  hold  more  slowly, 
and  afford  the  beginner  more  opportunity 
to  hook  them,  and,  as  I  have  said,  they 
very  often  hook  themselves. 

The  beginner  will  have  some  trouble  in 
overcoming  the  excitement  or  "  trout 
fever  "  that  always  accompanies  the  trout's 
rise  and  strike,  but  experience  will  grad- 
ually make  him  more  calm  and  active  at 
this  important  moment.  The  tyro  trout 
fisher  is  often  more  frightened  at  the  rise 
of  the  trout  than  he  would  be  at  the  flush 
of  a  noisy  grouse  or  the  springing  of  a 
surprised  deer. 

When  you  have  hooked  the  fish,  al- 
ways handle  him  as  if  he  were  but  lightly 
secured.  Do  not  attempt  to  lift  him  out 
or  yank  him  up  to  you.  Keep  the  line 
gently  taut,  and  softly  lead  the  prize  out 
of  rough  water  or  away  from  stones, 
grasses,  logs,  or  tree  branches.  Do  not 
let  him  come  to  the  surface  until  he 
is  pretty  well  exhausted  and  you  are 
about  to  put  him  in  the  landing-net.     If 


Fly  Fishing  for  Trout.  1 1 

he  is  a  large  fish,  tow  him  ashore  if  the 
water  edge  will  permit.  Where  there  are 
overhanging  banks  this  cannot  be  done. 
Do  not  be  in  a  hurry  to  get  him  out  of 
the  water.     Be  calm  and  work  carefully. 

If  the  fish  is  large  enough  to  overcome 
the  reel  click  and  run  off  the  line,  let  him 
do  so,  but  check  him  and  guide  him  ac- 
cording to  any  obstruction  there  may  be. 

When  he  has  rushed  here  and  there  for 
some  little  time  with  his  mouth  open  and 
with  a  constant  check — the  line  should  al- 
ways be  taut — he  will  become  tired,  and 
when  he  is  tired  he  will  not  rush.  Then 
softly  reel  him  in,  being  careful  not  to 
let  him  come  in  contact  with  a  stone  or 
weed,  which  is  sure  to  arouse  him  again. 
Reel  him  up  until  your  leader  touches  the 
tip  of  the  rod.  Then,  if  the  leader  is 
of  the  correct  length  and  if  the  rod  is 
properly  pliant,  he  will  be  near  enough 
for  you  to  put  your  landing-net  under 
him,  tail  firsts  as  all  fish  should  be  net- 
ted. Do  this  quickly,  without  maktiig 
a  splashing  swoop,  and  he  will  soon  grace 
your  creel. 

Several  persons  have  expressed  an  ob- 


12  The  Brook  Trout. 

jection  to  a  list  of  flies  I  once  named  in 
Sports  Afield,  saying  a  good  angler  might 
kill  just  as  many  trout  on  quarter  the 
number. 

Any  angler  can  take  even  less  than  one- 
quarter  of  the  enumerated  list  and  catch 
fully  as  many  brook  trout  as  one  who 
might  use  all  of  the  flies  mentioned — if 
he  can  pick  out  the  ones  the  trout  are  ris- 
ing to  without  trying  them  all  until  he 
discovers  the  killing  ones.  A  chef  might 
please  his  master  with  one  or  two  of  the 
forty  courses  billed,  if  he  knew  what  the 
man  wanted.  Sometimes  an  angler  can 
judge  the  appropriate  fly  to  use  by  ob- 
serving nature  in  seeing  trout  rise  to  the 
live  fly ;  but  there  are  times  when  trout 
are  not  rising,  times  when  they  are  tired 
of  the  fly  upon  the  water,  and  times  when 
the  real  fly  is  not  on  the  wing.  Then  the 
angler  is  expected  to  take  matters  in  his 
own  hands  and  whip  about  quietly  until 
he  discovers  the  proper  thing.  It  is  bet- 
ter to  try  for  the  right  ones  with  a  list  of 
twenty-nine  than  whip  over  a  list  of  a 
thousand  or  more.  I  have  learned  from 
experience  that  trout,  like  human  beings, 


Fly  Fishing  for  Trout.  1 3 

are  in  love  with  a  variety  of  foods  at  dif- 
ferent times.  Their  tastes  change  with 
the  months,  the  weeks,  the  days,  the 
hours,  and,  under  certain  conditions  which 
I  will  presently  explain,  the  minutes. 
When  I  mention  twenty-nine  different 
patterns  as  being  seasonable  at  a  stated 
period,  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  the 
trout  will  rise  to  them  all  and  at  any 
time  and  under  all  conditions.  In  the 
first  place,  the  person  using  them  might 
be  a  tyro  unfamiliar  with  the  gentle  art, 
the  streams  might  be  dried  up,  there 
might  be  an  earthquake,  the  flies  might 
be  too  large,  too  coarse,  and  for  that  mat- 
ter a  thousand  other  conditions  might 
interfere.  I  fish  dozens  of  streams  in 
different  localities  several  times  every 
month  during  the  legal  season,  and  I 
have  been  a  fond  angler — if  not  a  skillful 
one — since  my  tenth  birthday.  Experi- 
ence on  the  streams,  a  true  love  for 
nature,  and  a  careful  attention  to  my 
notebook  enable  me  to  separate  the  arti- 
ficial flies  into  monthly  lists.  No  man 
can  class  them  into  weekly  or  daily  lots. 
The  "  Eastern  gentleman   who  said  if 


14  The  Brook  Trout. 

he  could  have  but  one  fly  he  would  take 
a  yellow  one,"  is  probably  a  good  angler, 
for  a  yellow  fly  is  a  fair  choice.  If  I 
could  have  but  one  fly  I  should  take 
a — ah  !  I  cannot  name  its  color ;  'tis  the 
quaker,  a  cream,  buff,  grayish  honey- 
yellow  shade. 

Trout  change  in  their  tastes  by  the 
month,  week,  day,  hour,  and  minute. 
There  are  flies  among  the  list  given  for 
this  or  that  month  that  they  will  not  rise 
to  to-day  or  perhaps  to-morrow,  but 
surely  there  are  some  among  the  list  that 
will  please  them,  and  you  have  to  dis- 
cover those  particular  ones,  and  so,  as 
I  have  said  before,  'tis  better  to  search 
among  twenty-nine  than  twenty-nine 
hundred. 

In  July  of  a  certain  season  I  waded  a 
stream  in  Pennsylvania  and  had  these 
flies  with  me:  Quaker,  Oak,  Codun, 
Reuben  Wood,  White  Miller,  Yellow 
Sallie,  Hare's  Ear,  Iron  Dun,  Brown 
Palmer,  Cahill,  and  a  few  others.  The 
first  day  I  killed  eighteen  trout  in  fishing 
fifty  yards  in  a  small  stream  running 
partly   through   a   large   open   field   and 


Fly  Fishing  for  Trout.  1 5 

partly  through  bushes,  fishing  from  the 
left  bank.  Twelve  were  taken  on  a 
brown  palmer,  four  on  a  dark-gray  midge, 
and  two  on  a  tiny  yellow-gold-brown 
fly.  I  fished  three  hours,  in  which  time 
I  received  exactly  two  hundred  and 
fifteen  strikes  ;  eighteen,  as  I  have  said, 
proved  killing.  I  fished  stealthily  up  and 
down  the  stream,  hiding  here  and  there 
and  making  the  most  difficult  of  casts  at 
all  times.  I  went  up  and  down  the  little 
stream  a  half  dozen  times,  never  going 
into  the  wood,  but  merely  fishing  from 
where  the  stream  came  out  of  the  wood 
to  where  it  hid  itself  again  beyond  the 
field.  Part  of  the  water  I  fished,  as  I 
say,  was  in  underbush,  but  I  did  not 
leave  the  field. 

Now  I  am  going  to  show  you  how  the 
tastes  of  trout  varied  by  minutes,  in  two 
instances  at  least,  and  I  desire  you  to 
know  every  little  detail.  To  well  con- 
vince you  that  the  casts  I  made  were 
difficult,  I  will  say  that  my  line  became 
fastened  in  twigs,  leaves,  and  bushes  every 
other  toss.  I  had  to  put  the  flies  through 
little  openings  no  larger  than  the  creel 


1 6  The  Brook  Trout. 

head  and  take  chances  of  getting  the 
leader  caught  while  on  the  way,  and  after 
it  was  there  and  on  its  return.  I  some- 
times whipped  twenty  times  at  a  little 
pool  before  I  reached  it.  There  were 
logs,  branches,  mosses,  cresses,  leaves, 
and  grasses  to  avoid.  The  water  in  parts 
was  swift  and  still,  narrow,  shallow,  and 
deep,  sometimes  being  four  feet  wide  and 
three  feet  deep,  and  then  ten  feet  wide 
and  three  inches  deep ;  sometimes  run- 
ning smartly  over  bright  grasses  or 
pebbles  and  light  in  color,  and  in  other 
places  lying  dark  and  still  in  pools  made 
by  logs  and  deep  holes. 

A  tyro  would  have  fished  the  ground 
in  ten  minutes  and  caught  nothing;  some 
anglers  would  have  gone  over  it  once  in 
twenty-five  minutes  and  taken  a  half 
dozen  fish.  I  had  the  day  to  myself ; 
I  had  nowhere  else  to  go ;  I  was  out  for 
sport,  recreation,  and  study, — not  fish,  for 
I  am  a  lover  of  nature  in  general, — and  so 
I  took  three  hours  at  the  play,  and  fished 
and  observed  inch  by  inch  like  a  mink,  the 
king  of  trouters. 

I  say  I  had  two  hundred  and  fifteen 


Fly  Fishing  for   Trout.  1 7 

strikes,  out  of  which  I  killed  eighteen 
trout,  and  you  are  surprised.  You  think 
you  could  have  done  better,  much  better, 
but  I  know  you  could  not — you  could  not 
have  done  as  well  as  I  did  and  I  wish  that 
I  could  put  you  to  a  test.  I  have  seen 
a  fontinalis  rise  to  a  small  coachman 
twenty-six  times,  snapping  apparently  at 
the  feather  each  time,  but  never  allow- 
ing himself  to  be  hooked  nor  hooking 
himself.  He  was  playing.  He  was  a 
young  trout,  but  an  educated  one,  and  well 
knew  there  was  no  danger  if  he  kept  his 
wits  about  him.  I  have  witnesses  to  this 
performance  who  will  substantiate  my 
story,  and  I  can  easily  further  prove  the 
truthfulness  of  the  statement  by  taking 
you  to  a  stream  where  a  similar  perform- 
ance may  be  enacted.  And  I  have  seen 
an  uneducated  trout  rise  and  snap  at  a  fly 
without  taking  it.  The  first  one  rose  in 
play,  this  one  in  curiosity — and  there  are 
trout  that  will  rise  in  anger.  All  of  them 
may  know  the  bait  is  not  food.  It  is  a 
mistake  to  think  that  all  brook  trout  will 
spurt  from  a  fly  the  very  second  they  dis- 
cover it  is  not  real  food,  as  it  is  an  error 


1 8  The  Brook  Trout. 

to  believe  that  all  brook  trout  will  take 
the  fly  when  they  know  it  is  the  living 
thing.  All  trout  are  not  alike ;  they  vary 
in  their  tastes  and  antics  as  they  do  in 
color  and  size.  Mind  you,  I  speak  only 
of  one  species  here — the  true  brook  trout, 
salvelinus  fontinalis,  and  thus  the  material 
should  be  interesting.  The  day  I  took 
my  creel  of  eighteen  was  a  fair  one ;  we 
had  rain  the  day  before;  the  water  was 
clear  and  the  stream  was  in  ordinary  con- 
dition. The  brown  hackle  which  killed 
twelve  of  the  eighteen  was  on  a  No.  8 
hook ;  the  other  two  flies  were  tied  on 
No.  i6,  as  the  hackle  should  have  been, 
for  the  fish  were  small  and  the  stream 
was  in  a  small-fly  condition  and  quite 
right  for  the  daintiest  leaders  and  the 
finest  midges.  But  the  hackle  seemed  to 
please  the  trout;  all  sizes  appeared  to 
jump  at  it.  I  hooked  many  that  were 
not  over  three  inches  long !  Several 
times  when  taking  my  flies  from  the 
water  for  a  new  cast,  I  lifted  a  poor  little 
trout  up  in  the  air  back  of  me,  like  the 
scurvy  fisherman  who  makes  a  practice  of 
landing  all  his  fish  by  yanking  them  out. 


Fly  Fishing  for  Trout.  19 

So  you  see  it  pays  to  be  patient  on  the 
stream  and  try  all  sorts  of  gentle  tricks 
with  fontinalis.  You  must  not  hurry ; 
you  must  not  be  coarse ;  you  must  not 
be  careless  and  untidy  with  your  fly-book. 
Take  your  time,  fish  slowly,  surely,  and 
delicately.  Be  not  weary  of  the  play: 
banish  the  thought  of  discouragement, 
keep  at  the  sport  for  sport  alone,  and 
study  as  you  angle. 

A  little  trout  will  rise  to  a  fly  he  has 
missed  one  or  more  times;  a  large  trout 
will  seldom  do  so.  When  you  miss  a  big 
trout  do  not  give  him  back  the  fly  for 
ten  minutes,  and  then  if  you  miss  him 
again,  change  the  pattern,  wait  a  little 
while,  and  he  is  once  more  ready  for  the 
rise — if  the  new  fly  suits  him. 

I  never  raised  a  trout  on  the  scarlet  v 
ibis  fly.  I  believe  it  is  a  poor  color  on 
the  well-fished  waters,  just  as  I  believe 
that  all  flies  are  killing  on  wild  streams. 
New  trout  will  take  old  flies ;  old  trout 
love  new  ones  and  many  old  ones. 
Personally  I  like  the  sober  colors  in  flies  ^ 
for  all  seasons  on  all  water,  though  I 
well   appreciate   the   old   rule :     "  When 


> 


20  The  Brook  Trout. 

the  day  is  bright  and  where  the  water  is 
clear,  small  flies  and  plain  colors;  in 
deep  and  dull  waters  and  on  dark  days 
and  in  the  evening  the  brighter  and 
larger  ones."  Trout  do  not  in  all  cases 
show  their  liking  to  flies  in  accordance 
with  any  condition  of  weather  or  water, 
though  as  a  rule  it  is  advisable  to  use 
lighter  colors  when  the  day  and  water 
are  dull,  which  is  not  saying,  however, 
that  fish  will  not  rise  to  loud  flies  on 
bright  days  or  sober  flies  in  dull  weather, 
for  the  tastes  of  trout  vary  like  the  tastes 
of  other  living  things,  and  nothing  can 
equal  them  in  erraticness  when  fly- 
feeding. 

You  must  give  fontinalis  sport,  for  he 
very  often  strikes  for  play  more  than 
food,  and,  like  every  other  living  thing, 
loves  a  choice  of  variety. 

There  is  an  old  story  that  if  the  angler's 
book  has  a  pattern  of  fly  in  exact  imitation 
of  the  real  fly  upon  the  trout  water,  he 
has  but  to  join  it  as  the  stretcher  to  fill  his 
creel.  Ogden  tells  us  in  so  many  words : 
"  Give  not  the  trout  an  exact  imitation  of 
the   real  fly   upon    the   water,  for    your 


Fly  Fishing  for  Trout.  21 

artificial  fly  will  then  be  one  in  a  thou- 
sand. Something  startling  will  please 
them  better — loud  gold  body,  strange- 
colored  wings — and  an  odd  fellow  may 
take  it  for  sport  if  nothing  else." 

While  this  is  a  good  bit  of  advice,  it 
does  not  seem  right  to  me  to  send  it 
forth  in  such  a  sweeping  manner.  The 
question  of  whether  we  should  imitate 
nature  in  general  fly  building  has  long 
been  in  vogue.  Some  say  we  should  do 
so,  and  others  that  it  does  not  matter. 
Both  are  correct — there  are  times  when 
we  should  copy  the  living  flies,  and  times 
when  we  should  use  those  artificial  things 
that  have  no  resemblance  to  nature's 
insects.  I  have  come  upon  a  water  where 
the  trout  were  rising  to  the  small  dusky 
miller,  and  have,  by  putting  on  the 
artificial  fly  of  this  order,  taken  a  dozen 
beauties  in  good  play.  It  was  because 
I  arrived  just  in  time  ;  the  trout  were  not 
tired  of  their  course.  Perhaps  twenty 
minutes  later  they  would  not  have  done 
more  than  eyed  my  cast.  In  that  case, 
even  if  the  water  were  covered  with  a 
species  of  the  real  fly,  it  would  have  been 


22  The  Brook  Trout. 

better  to  have  flailed  something  different. 
Copy  nature  if  the  fish  be  devouring — 
not  alone  because  the  fly  is  on  the  water ; 
they  may  be  tired  of  it.  Sometimes 
there  are  flies  being  taken  that  are  not 
seen  by  the  angler,  for  trout  can  snap  a 
fly  upon  the  wing.  Fly-fishing  is  not  an 
easy  pursuit ;  'tis  a  real  science.  Rules 
are  good,  but  we  must  not  fail  to  suit  the 
rules  to  conditions. 

No ;  you  are  not  supposed  to  use  the 
entire  list,  for  to-day  the  trout  may  not 
favor  over  two  or  three  of  them  ;  to-mor- 
row he  may  take  six  of  them — all  differ- 
ent from  those  he  may  show  a  liking  for 
to-day.  It  is  all  very  well  for  an  angler 
to  take  but  three  dozen  coachmen  and 
brown  and  gray  hackle  for  the  Western 
trout  (or  any  trout  that  is  not  educated 
up  to  the  standard  of  the  trout  that  is 
fished  for  incessantly),  but  I  should  not 
like  to  make  a  month's  trouting  trip  and 
take  along  only  three  kinds  of  flies,  even 
if  I  had  dozens  of  each  of  the  three  and 
if  my  favorite  quaker  were  one  of  the  trio, 
no  matter  where  the  stream — East,  West, 
North,  or  South. 


Fly  Fishing  for   Trout.  23 

Some  days  after  my  catch  of  eighteen 
I  visited  the  field  again  and  fished  from 
the  point  where  the  stream  entered  the 
wood  down  to  a  beautiful  little  waterfall. 
I  took  twenty-one  of  fair  size — one  on  a 
yellow  Sallie,  one  on  an  oak  fly,  four  on  an 
Esquimaux  dun,  five  on  a  hare's  ear,  and 
nine  on  the  quaker.  This  day  I  had 
ninety-three  rises — not  as  many  as  on  the 
day  I  took  the  eighteen  and  had  two 
hundred  and  fifteen  rises.  The  day  was 
dark,  the  water  very  clear  and  shallow, 
and  there  had  been  no  rain  for  ten  days. 

This  was  the  occasion  of  learning  more 
about  striking  the  Eastern  brook  trout 
than  I  had  ever  before  enjoyed.  The 
old  rule  is  to  strike  on  the  second  of  the 
rise,  and,  while  I  do  not  think  this  elec- 
tric quickness  should  be  practiced  in  all 
cases  and  under  all  conditions,  I  found  it 
was  the  rule  this  day,  especially  in  the 
one  deep  pool  I  found.  In  other  places 
— one  in  particular,  where  I  saw  six  of 
my  catch  make  every  move  in  taking  the 
flies — I  found  it  necessary  to  depart  from 
the  old  rule  and  strike  not  upon  the  sec- 
ond of  the  rise.     I  very  often  gave  wrist 


24  The  Brook  Trout. 

too  quickly.  It  all  goes  to  prove  that 
rules  are  not  to  be  exercised  at  all  times 
and  under  all  conditions.  We  must 
make  allowances.  I  came  upon  one  quiet 
piece  of  water  that  was  as  clear  and  still 
as  glass ;  I  could  see  every  detail  of  the 
pebbles  at  the  bottom.  Eight  pretty 
trout  were  in  this  bed  of  silent  water, 
resting  without  a  perceptible  movement 
— not  even  that  delicate  wave  of  the  tail 
so  common  with  the  trout  in  his  bal- 
ancing in  running  water.  They  did  not 
see  me  ;  a  bush  hid  my  form.  When  my 
slender  rod-tip  moved  over  the  water  and 
the  leader  with  the  flies  went  down 
gently  upon  the  surface,  the  trout  thought 
(all  animals  think)  the  wind  had  stirred 
the  frail  branch  of  an  adjacent  tree  and 
swept  into  the  water  upon  a  cobweb  three 
insects  for  their  feeding.  Four  rushed 
for  the  deceit  and  two  were  hooked  qui- 
etly and  quickly.  I  landed  them  and 
went  away  to  return  to  the  same  spot 
a  half  hour  later.  Seven  trout  were  there 
this  time.  I  flailed  gently  over  them, 
but  received  no  rushing  rise  ;  one  little 
fellow  came  up  deliberately,  broke  water 


Fly  Fishing  for  Trout.  25 

two  inches  behind  the  little  dun,  and  then 
returned  to  his  old  position.  Then  two 
others  did  precisely  the  same  as  their 
companion  had  done,  excepting  that  one 
chose  the  oak  fly  for  his  inspection. 
Then  they  sank  themselves,  and  a  fourth 
gamester  spurted  up  to  the  dun  and  took 
it  in  his  mouth  much  as  a  sunfish  would 
suck  in  a  bit  of  worm.  I  struck  him,  and 
he  made  a  splash  that  nearly  drove  a 
near-by-perched  catbird  into  hysterics, 
and  sent  the  other  trout  up,  down,  and 
across  the  stream  like  so  many  black 
streaks  of  lightning.  Now,  had  I  flailed 
at  these  fish  from  above  or  below,  and  not 
just  over  them,  where  I  saw  every  move 
they  made,  I  should  have  given  them 
wrist  on  the  second  of  their  rise — as  I 
did  in  the  case  of  the  first  two  that  made 
the  first  rush — and  lost  any  chance  of 
success. 

No,  I  say,  we  must  not  always  follow 
rules  regardless  of  conditions.  We  must 
not  judge  all  trout  alike,  even  if  they  be 
of  one  species.  Men,  though  of  one  race, 
are  not  all  alike  in  their  habits  any  more 
than  they  are  in  their  sizes  and  colors. 


26  Tlu  Brook  Trout. 

I  found  in  some  parts  of  the  stream 
that  as  long  as  I  changed  the  flies  I  had 
rises ;  in  other  parts  no  trout  took  the 
fly,  no  matter  how  I  worked  it.  Per- 
haps there  were  no  fish  hereabout ;  per- 
haps they  saw  me  ;  perhaps  they  were  not 
hungry,  and  perhaps  there  were  hundreds 
and  thousands  of  other  reasons  why  they 
were  not  to  be  taken  in  these  certain 
places. 

No  man  can  strictly  follow  rules  in  all 
cases  and  take  trout  upon  every  occasion 
of  his  trials.  Conditions  govern,  and 
must  be  studied — conditions,  conditions. 


TROUT  TRUTHS. 

D.   W.   C.   FARRINGTON. 

I  live  not  in  myself,  but  I  become 
Portion  of  that  around  me  ;  and  to  me 
High  mountains  are  a  feeling,  but  the  hum 
Of  human  cities  torture. 

— Byron. 

|HAT  is  the  best  season  of  the 
year  to  go  a-fishing  ? 

I  think  the  best  time  is  when 
you  feel  like  it  and  can  leave 
home  and  business.  The  desire  for  fish- 
ing is  like  some  diseases,  in  attacking 
a  man  with  great  severity  without  notice. 
It  can  be  no  more  resisted  than  falling  in 
love  can  be  resisted,  and,  like  love,  the 
best  treatment  is  its  gratification. 

What  is  the  best  time  o'  day  for  fish- 
ing? 

Any   time   after  breakfast.     Never  go 
before,  for  trout    are    not    early    risers.  S, 
I  have  known  men  to  get  out  of  bed  at 

97 


28  The  Brook  Trout. 

daylight,  making  much  noise,  to  the  dis- 
gust of  those  who  wished  to  sleep,  and 
rush  off  with  an  empty  stomach  save 
perhaps  for  a  drink  of  whisky,  and  return 
several  hours  later  to  a  cold  breakfast, 
having  captured  nothing  but  a  headache. 
Trout  will  bite  just  when  they  feel  like  it, 
and  the  best  way  to  ascertain  their  biting 
time  is  to  give  them  a  frequent  oppor- 
tunity. 

How  about  the  wind  and  the  weather  ? 

Trout  will  bite  when  the  wind  blows 
and  when  it  does  not.  A  cloudy  day  is 
best  except  when  they  rise  better  on  a 
bright,  sunny  one.  They  also  often  bite 
well  when  it  rains. 

What  fly  is  best  ? 

The  fly  the  trout  seem  to  fancy  most 
on  the  day  you  are  out.  I  never  go 
without  at  least  fifty  varieties.  You  may 
as  well  ask  a  woman  what  style  of  bonnet 
she  prefers.  The  taste  of  trout  and 
women  is  governed  by  a  similar  law, 
and  they  change  it  quite  as  often.  I 
once  made  a  fly  that  was  so  ugly  that  it 
frightened  my  cat  out  of  the  room,  and 
yet  it  proved  a  great  killer.     The  surest 


Trout  Truths.  29 

way  is  to  have  every  known  specimen, 
and  to  try  them  all. 

What  kind  of  hook  is  best? 

The  one  with  a  sharp  point,  and  when 
you  miss  a  trout  charge  your  clumsiness  to 
the  hook  and  say  you  prefer  some  other 
make. 

As  conditions  are  innumerable,  it  is 
difficult  to  make  rules  to-day  which  will 
not  fail  to-morrow.  My  advice  is — go 
often  and  visit  many  localities.  Kill  no 
more  fish  than  you  require  for  your  own 
eating,  and  do  that  in  the  most  scientific 
manner.  A  trout  is  a  gentleman,  and 
should  be  treated  as  such  and  lured  with 
only  delicate  and  humane  weapons. 


TROUT  AND  TROUTING. 

A  day  with  not  too  bright  a  beam  ; 
A  warm,  but  not  a  scorching,  sun. 

— Charles  Cotton, 

[HERE  can  I  enjoy  trout  fish- 
ing amid  good  scenery  and 
good  cheer  without  its  neces- 
sitating a  lengthy  absence 
from  the  city  ?  That  is  a  question  which 
frequently  rises  in  the  mind  of  the  toilers 
in  the  busy  centers  of  the  East,  and  it  is 
one  becoming  daily  more  difficult  to 
answer.  Yet  there  are  still  nearby  trout 
streams  where  a  creel  of  from  fifteen  to 
fifty,  or  even  more,  in  favorable  weather, 
might  be  made.  One  such  locality,  which 
for  years  local  sportsmen  have  proven, 
lies  within  a  four  hours'  ride  of  either 
Philadelphia  or  New  York.  All  that  is 
necessary  is  to  take  the  railroad,  which 
conveys  you  to  Cresco,  in  Monroe  County, 
Pa.,  and   a   ride  or    drive   of   five   miles 


Trout  and  Tr outing.  31 

through  the  Pocono  Mountains  will  land 
you  in  the  little  village  of  Canadensis,  in 
the  valley  of  the  Brodhead ;  and  within 
the  radius  of  a  few  miles  on  either  side 
fully  a  dozen  other  unposted  streams 
ripple  along  in  their  natural  state,  not 
boarded,  bridged,  dammed,  or  fenced 
by  the  hand  of  man,  thanks  to  the  natu- 
rally uncultivatable  condition  of  the 
greater  part  of  this  paradise  for  trout 
fishers.  The  villagers  of  Canadensis  do 
their  trading  and  receive  their  mail  at 
Cresco,  and  it  is  an  easy  matter  to  obtain 
excellent  food  and  lodgings  for  a  dollar  a 
day  at  one  of  the  many  farmhouses  dot- 
ting here  and  there  the  valleys,  and  a  seat 
when  needful  in  one  of  the  several  private 
conveyances  running  every  day  between 
the  two  villages. 

The  open  season  for  trout  in  Pennsyl- 
vania is  from  April  15  until  July  15,  and 
there  appears  to  be  no  particularly  favored 
period  during  these  three  months,  for  the 
trout  here  afford  sport  equally  well  at  all 
times,  though  they  greatly  vary  in  their 
tastes  for  the  fly. 

If  one  goes  there  in  the  early  part  of  the 


32  The  Brook  Trout. 

open  season,  when  the  weather  is  cold, 
he  should  engage  a  room  and  take  his 
meals  at  the  farmhouse  selected  ;  but  if 
the  trip  is  made  in  the  early  part  of  June 
or  any  time  after  that,  during  the  open 
season,  camp  life  may  be  enjoyed  with 
great  comfort. 

Two  favorite  waters  within  walking  dis- 
tance from  any  of  the  farmhouses  in 
Canadensis  are  Stony  Run  and  the  Buck- 
hill.  The  great  Brodhead,  a  famous  old 
water  in  the  days  of  Thaddeus  Norris, 
and  noted  then  and  now  for  its  big  trout, 
flows  in  the  valley  proper,  within  a  stone's 
throw  of  the  farmhouse  at  which  I 
engaged  quarters.  Spruce  Cabin  Run, 
a  mile  distant,  is  a  charming  stream,  but 
the  trout  here  are  not  very  large  beyond 
the  deep  pools  at  the  foot  of  Spruce  Falls 
and  in  the  water  flowing  through  Turner's 
fields  and  woods  above  the  falls. 

Any  of  these  streams  will  afford  plenty 
of  sport,  but  if  one  wishes  to  visit  a  still 
more  wild,  romantic,  and  beautiful  trout 
water,  he  has  only  to  walk  a  little  farther 
or  take  a  buckboard  wagon  and  ride  to 
the  mighty  Bushkill,  a  stream  that  must 


Trout  and  Trouting.  33 

not  be  confounded  with  the  Buckhill, 
which  lies  in  an  opposite  direction  from 
Canadensis. 

The  Bushkill  is  the  wildest  stream  in 
the  region,  and  is  fished  less  than  any  of 
the  others  named,  one  reason  being  that 
there  are  plenty  of  trout  in  the  waters  of 
Canadensis,  which  can  be  fished  without 
one  going  so  far.  For  those  who  like 
to  camp,  the  Bushkill  is  the  proper 
locality.  I  spent  a  day  there  with 
friends  one  season,  and  we  caught  in  less 
than  two  hours,  in  the  liveliest  possible 
manner,  all  the  trout  five  of  us  could  eat 
throughout  the  day,  and  four  dozen  extra 
large  ones  which  we  took  home  to  send 
to  friends  in  the  city. 

"  The  trout  in  the  Bushkill,"  remarked 
one  of  my  companions,  "  are  so  wild  that 
they're  tame."  An  expression  based 
upon  the  greediness  and  utter  disregard 
of  the  enemy  with  which,  fontinalts,  in  his 
unfamiliarity  with  man,  took  the  fly. 
I  remember  having  a  number  of  rises 
within  two  feet  of  my  legs  as  I  was  taking 
in  my  line  for  a  front  toss. 

I   know   men    who   have   many   times 


34  The  Brook  Trout. 

traveled  a  thousand  miles  from  New 
York  on  an  angling  trip  to  different 
famous  waters  who  have  not  found  either 
the  sport  or  the  scenery  to  be  enjoyed 
on  the  Bushkill. 

The  lower  Brodhead  below  the  point 
at  which  this  stream  and  Spruce  Cabin 
Run  come  together  is  very  beautiful.  It 
is  owned  by  a  farmer  who  lives  on  its 
banks,  and  who  has  never  been  known 
to  refuse  anglers  permission  to  fish  there 
when  they  asked  for  the  privilege. 

There  are  four  natural  features  in  the 
scenery  about  Canadensis  that  are  espe- 
cially prized  by  the  countrymen  there — 
the  Sand  Spring,  Buckhill  Falls,  Spruce 
Cabin  Falls  and  the  Bushkill  Falls. 

The  Sand  Spring  is  so  called  because 
grains  of  brilliant  sand  spring  up  with  the 
water.  This  sand  resembles  a  mixture 
of  gold  and  silver  dust ;  it  forms  in  little 
clouds  just  under  the  water's  bubble  and 
then  settles  down  to  form  and  rise  again 
and  again.  This  effect,  with  the  rich 
colors  of  wild  pink  roses,  tiny  yellow 
watercups,  blue  lilies,  and  three  shades 
of  green  in  the  cresses  and  deer  tongue 


Trout  and  Tr outing,  35 

that  grow  all  about,  produces,  indeed,  a 
pretty  picture.  The  spring  is  not  over  a 
foot  in  diameter,  but  the  sand  edges  and 
the  pool  cover  several  feet. 

Being  located  at  one  side  of  the  old 
road  between  Cresco  and  Canadensis 
every  visitor  has  an  opportunity  of  seeing 
it  without  going  more  than  a  few  feet  out 
of  his  direct  way.  Some  of  the  stories 
told  about  the  old  sand  spring  are  worth 
hearing,  and  no  one  can  tell  them  better 
or  with  more  special  pleasure  than  the 
farmers  living  thereabout.  One  man 
affirms  that  "  more  'an  a  hundred  b'ar 
and  as  many  deer  have  been  killed  while 
drinking  the  crystal  water  of  the  spring." 

Each  of  the  falls  is  a  picture  of  true 
wild  scenery.  Though  some  miles  apart 
they  may  be  here  described  in  the  same 
paragraph. 

Great  trees  have  fallen  over  the  water 
from  the  banks  and  lodged  on  huge  pro- 
jecting moss-covered  rocks;  they  are 
additional  obstacles  to  the  rushing,  roar- 
ing, down-pouring  water,  which  flows 
through  and  over  them  like  melted  sil- 
ver.   This  against  the  dark  background  of 


$6  The  Brook  Trout. 

the  mountain  woods,  the  blue  and 
snow-white  of  the  heavens,  the  green  of 
the  rhododendron-Hned  banks  and  the 
streams'  bottoms  of  all-colored  stones 
creates  a  series  of  charming  and  ever- 
varying  views. 

A  half  dozen  trout,  weighing  from  one 
to  two  pounds  and  a  half,  may  always  be 
seen  about  the  huge  rock  at  the  point 
where  lower  Brodhead  and  the  Spruce 
Cabin  Run  come  together,  and  hundreds 
may  be  seen  in  the  stream  below  the 
Buckhill  Falls.  I  do  not  know  that  fish 
may  be  actually  seen  in  any  other  parts 
of  the  waters  of  Canadensis,  but  at  these 
points  the  water  is  calm  and  the  bottom 
smooth,  and  the  specimens  are  plainly  in 
view. 

Do  not  waste  time  on  the  "flock" 
lying  about  the  big  rock  at  Brodhead 
Point.  The  trout  there  will  deceive  you. 
I  played  with  them  a  half  day,  and  before 
I  began  work  on  them  I  felt  certain  I 
would  have  them  in  my  creel  in  a  half 
hour's  time.  They  are  a  pack  of  pam- 
pered idlers  who  do  not  have  to  move 
a  fin  to  feed.     All  the  trout  food  comes 


Down-pouring  water  .  .  .  like  melted  silver." 


Trout  and  Trouting.  37 

rushing  down  both  streams  from  behind 
these  big  rocks  into  the  silent  water  and 
floats  right  up  to  the  very  noses  of  these 
gentlemen  of  leisure.  If  you  have  any 
practicing  to  do  with  the  rod  and  fly  do 
it  here.  These  trout  are  very  obliging ; 
they  will  lie  there  all  day  and  enjoy  your 
casting  all  sorts  of  things  at  them.  This 
is  a  good  place  to  prove  to  yourself 
whether  you  are  a  patient  fisherman  or 
not. 

And  now  a  few  words  about  the  proper 
tackle  for  mountain  streams.  Most  an- 
glers use  rods  that  are  too  heavy  and  too 
long.  During  my  first  visit  I  used  a  rod 
rod  of  eight  feet,  four  ounces,  and  I  soon 
found  that,  while  it  was  a  nice  weight,  it 
was  too  long  for  real  convenience,  al- 
though there  were  rods  used  there  nine 
and  ten  feet  long.  My  rod  was  the 
lightest  and  one  of  the  shortest  ever  seen 
in  the  valley.  There  are  only  a  few  open 
spots  where  long  casts  are  necessary,  and 
a  long,  ordinary-weight  trout  rod  is  of  very 
little  service  compared  with  one  of  seven, 
seven-and-a-half,  or  eight  feet,  four  or  three 
ounces,  that  can  be  handled  well  along  the 


38  The  Brook  Trout. 

narrow,     bush-lined,    tree-branch-covered 
streams. 

The  greater  part  of  the  fishing  is  done 
by  sneaking  along  under  cover  of  the 
rocks,  logs,  bushes,  and  the  low-hanging 
branches,  as  casts  are  made  in  every  little 
pool  and  eddy.  I  use  a  lancewood  rod, 
but  of  course  the  higher-priced  popular 
split  bamboo  is  just  as  good.  I  shall  not 
claim  my  rod's  material  is  the  better  of 
the  two,  as  some  men  do  when  speaking 
of  their  tackle,  but  I  am  quite  sure  I  shall 
never  say  the  split  bamboo  is  more  than 
its  equal.  I  do  not  advise  as  to  the  ma- 
terial; I  speak  only  of  the  weight  and 
length.  Let  every  man  use  his  choice, 
but  I  seriously  advise  him  to  avoid  the 
cheap-priced  split  bamboo  rod. 

If  split  bamboo  is  the  choice,  let  it  be 
the  work  of  a  practical  rod-maker.  Any 
ordinary  wood  rod  is  better  than  the  four- 
dollar  split  bamboo  affair. 
■  The  leader  should  be  of  single  gut,  but 
the  length  should  be  a  trifle  more  than  is 
commonly  used.  Twelve  feet  is  my  fa- 
vorite amount.  The  reel  should  be  the 
lightest  common  click  reel.      The  creel, 


Trout  and  Trouting.  39 

a  willow  one  that  sells  for  a  dollar  in  the 
stores ;  and  the  flies — here's  the  rub — 
must  be  the  smallest  and  finest  in  the 
market.  Large,  cheap,  coarse  flies  will 
never  do  for  Eastern  waters,  and  you 
must  not  fail  to  secure  your  list  of  the 
proper  kind,  as  well  as  all  your  outfit,  be- 
fore you  start  on  your  trip.  The  only 
decent  thing  on  sale  in  the  village  stores 
is  tobacco. 

When  you  buy  your  flies  buy  lots  of 
them,  for,  be  you  a  tyro  or  practical 
angler,  you  will  lose  them  easier  on  these 
streams  than  you  imagine.  Yes,  you 
must  be  very  careful  about  the  selection 
of  your  flies.  They  must  be  small  and 
finely  made,  high-priced  goods.  I  wish  I 
might  tell  you  who  to  have  make  them, 
but  I  dare  not,  lest  I  be  charged  with 
advertising  a  particular  house.  Regard- 
ing the  patterns  to  use,  I  will  say  that 
none  are  more  killing  than  the  general 
list,  if  they  are  the  best  made  and  used 
according  to  the  old  rule  all  are  familiar 
with — dark  colors  on  cold  days  and  bright 
ones  on  warm  days.  The  later  the  sea- 
son  the   louder   the   fly — that   is,  when 


40  The  Brook  Trout. 

the  season  closes  during  hot  weather,  as 
it  does  in  Canadensis.  My  favorite  time 
here  is  from  June  15  to  July  15,  the 
closing  day,  but  any  time  after  the  first 
two  weeks  of  the  open  season  is  very 
charming.  I  avoid  the  first  week  or  two 
because  the  weather  is  then  cold  and  the 
trout  are  more  fond  of  natural  bait  than 
the  artificial  fly.  Men  take  hundreds  of 
fish  early  in  the  season  with  worms  and 
minnows. 

I  never  wear  rubber  boots  to  wade  in. 
An  old  pair  of  heavy-soled  shoes  with 
spikes  in  their  bottoms,  and  small  slits 
cut  in  the  sides  to  let  the  water  in  and  out, 
and  a  pair  of  heavy  woolen  socks  com- 
prise my  wading  footwear.  The  slits 
must  not  be  large  enough  to  let  in 
coarse  sand  and  pebbles,  but  I  find  it 
absolutely  necessary  to  have  a  slight 
opening,  for  if  there  be  no  means  for  the 
water  to  run  freely  in  and  out,  the  shoes  fill 
from  the  tops  and  become  heavy.  Rub- 
ber boots  are  too  hot  for  my  feet  and  legs, 
while  the  water  is  never  too  cold.  I  have 
often  had  wet  feet  all  day,  and  have  never 
yet  experienced  any  ill  effects  from  it. 


Trout  and  Trout'tyig.  41 

I  never  use  a  staff  in  wading,  but  I 
should,  for  here  in  some  places  it  is  very 
hard  to  wade.  I  have  often  fallen  down 
in  water  up  to  my  waist,  overbalanced  by 
the  heavy  current,  where  the  bottoms 
were  rough,  with  sharp,  slimy  stones.  If 
you  carry  a  staff,  follow  the  custom  of  the 
old  anglers  and  tie  it  to  your  body  with  a 
string  to  keep  it  out  of  the  way  and  allow 
your  hands  to  be  as  free  as  possible  for  a 
strike.  Your  landing-net  should  be  a 
small  one,  minus  any  metal,  with  a  foot 
and  a  half  handle,  and  a  string  tied  to  a 
front  button  on  your  garment  should  al- 
low it  to  be  slung  over  your  shoulder 
onto  your  back  when  not  in  use. 

Of  course,  these  little  points  about  the 
use  of  different  things  are  all  familiar  to 
the  angler  with  but  the  slightest  experi- 
ence, and  will  appear  to  him  neither  in- 
structive nor  interesting,  but  we  must,  as 
gentle  anglers,  give  a  thought  or  two  to 
the  earnest  tyro,  for  we  were  young 
once  ourselves. 

I  always  carry  two  fly  books  with  me  ; 
one  big  fellow  with  the  general  fly  stock 
in,  which  is  kept  at  the  farmhouse,  and 


42  The  Brook  Trout. 

a  little  one  holding  two  dozen  flies  and 
a  dozen  leaders,  which  I  carry  on  the 
stream.  A  string  tied  to  this,  too,  will 
prevent  the  unpleasantness  of  having  it 
fall  in  the  water  and  glide  away  from  you. 
I  even  tie  a  string  to  my  pipe  and  knife. 
The  outing  hat  is  an  important  thing  to 
me.  Mine  is  always  a  soft  brown  or  gray 
felt,  and  I  use  it  to  sit  on  in  damp  and 
hard  places  fifty  times  a  day. 


TROUTING   IN   CANADENSIS 
VALLEY. 

HIS  is  a  fontinalis  paradise. 
With  my  friend  George  Blake, 
I  creeled  the  little  heroes  by 
the  dozen  every  day  for  a 
week.  We  each  could  have  easily  caught 
fifty  in  an  afternoon  had  we  cared  to  do 
so,  but  there  were  other  rural  pleasures  to 
attend  to,  and  we  were  not  dealing  in  fish, 
and  saw  more  beauty  in  just  enough 
to  eat  than  in  an  unnecessary  quantity. 
Fishermen  are  generally  known  as 
"  stretchers,"  and  I  do  not  deny  that 
they  do  sometimes  resort  to  an  innocent 
little  fib  when  a  yarn  may  amuse  many 
and  injure  no  one,  but  I  must  say  that 
this  country's  beauties  are  too  numerous 
to  overpraise  by  all  the  exaggeration  of 
all  the  liars  in  the  world.  No  word  of 
mouth  or  pen  could  do  justice  to  nature 
in   these   mountains.      And    I   need    not 

43 


44  The  Brook  Trout. 

elaborate  about  the  fish ;  the  truth  is 
strong  enough. 

Brook  trout  weighing  a  quarter  of  a 
pound  to  a  pound  and  a  half  are  taken 
every  day  by  anglers,  who  more  than  fill 
their  creels.  Milton  D.  Price  and  Ma- 
thias  Ellenberg  took  in  one  day  sixty-five 
beauties  on  the  stream  known  as  Stony 
Run,  and  Wesley  J.  Price  and  a  gentle- 
man from  Philadelphia  took  half  a  hun- 
dred the  day  before  above  the  Buckhill 
Falls.  Another  great  stream  in  this  re- 
gion is  the  Bushkill,  and  still  another  is 
Brodhead's  Creek.  The  latter  flows  past 
our  cabin,  and  is  famous  for  big  trout. 
My  favorite  is  Spruce  Cabin  Stream, 
above  and  below  the  beautiful  Spruce 
Cabin  Falls.  There  are  big  trout  in  this 
water,  especially  at  the  bottom  of  the 
falls,  and  I  can — if  I  will — take  fifty  trout 
in  an  afternoon,  and  they'll  weigh  from  a 
quarter  of  a  pound  to  one  pound  and  a 
half.  I  like  something  besides  fish  about  a 
stream,  and  this  is  why  I  am  fond  of  the 
Spruce  Cabin  water. 

There  are  not  many  anglers  in  love 
with  the  place.     Though  beautiful,  it  is 


Trouting  in  Canadensis  Valley,     45 

very  hard  to  fish.  I  have  to  creep  under 
great  trees  that  have  fallen  over  the  water 
and  then  wade  up  to  my  waist  to  gain 
certain  points  in  order  to  get  along  down 
the  stream.  The  banks  are  lined  with 
trees  and  shrubbery,  and  my  line  is  ever 
getting  tangled.  One  does  not  need  to 
be  a  fly-casting-tournament  angler  to  fish 
any  of  the  Canadensis  waters.  Distance 
in  the  cast  is  not  required  as  much  as 
accuracy  at  more  than  one  or  two  places 
on  each  stream.  The  rest  of  the  fishing 
is  done  by  short,  low  casts,  and  by  creep- 
ing under  branches  and  letting  the  line 
float  with  the  ripples  into  the  eddies. 
Every  step  or  two  there  are  little  falls,  and 
in  the  white,  bubbling  water  at  their  bot- 
tom a  trout  may  be  taken.  Under  the 
big  fall,  and  in  the  still  waters  above  and 
below,  the  big  trout  hide. 

Artificial  flies  are  the  popular  bait  with 
the  gentle  angler,  though  all  sizes  of  trout 
will  take  worms,  and  the  big,  educated 
trout  like  minnows.  Both  small,  medium, 
and  large  trout  like  flies  if  the  flies  are  the 
right  kind.  We  have  had  great  trouble  in 
getting  good  flies.     I  brought  four  dozen 


46  The  Brook  Trout. 

with  me,  and  not  over  a  half  dozen  of 
them  are  worth  the  gut  tied  to  them  ; 
they  are  of  coarse  material,  and  bad  in 
color.  The  six  decent  ones  are  the  work 
of  an  artist.  I  could  give  his  name,  but 
it  might  look  like  an  advertisement  and 
spoil  my  yarn.  Trout  like  choice  food 
just  as  much  as  human  beings.  You  may 
stick  an  oyster  shell  on  a  reed  and  decoy 
a  summer  yellow  leg,  but  you  can't  hook 
a  trout  on  any  kind  of  a  fly.  They  know 
a  thing  or  two. 

Tyros  who  angle  in  a  trout  country 
without  success  go  home  and  say  there 
are  no  trout.  They  don't  think  about 
conditions  of  water  and  weather;  about 
their  line  lighting  in  the  water  before 
their  bait ;  about  their  coarse  line  and 
poor  flies. 

Trout  are  philosophers,  not  only  the 
educated  ones,  those  which  have  been 
hooked  and  seen  others  hooked,  but  trout 
in  general.  They're  born  that  way.  A 
young  man  came  up  here  the  other  day 
with  an  old  cane  pole,  weighing  fully 
three  pounds,  and  a  big  salt  water  sinker, 
and  he  went  away  saying  there  were  few 


Trouting  in  Canadensis  Valley.      47 

trout  in  these  waters.     I  think  he  had  a 
float  with  him,  too,  but  am  not  sure. 

A  word  or  two  about  appropriate 
tackle  for  mountain  streams,  and  I'll  put 
up  the  pen  and  joint  the  rod  again. 
In  the  city  a  few  weeks  ago  I  proudly 
displayed  a  four-ounce,  nine-foot  lance- 
wood  rod,  and  my  friends  laughed  at 
me,  saying  it  was  too  frail  for  any  service. 
Now,  I  find  this  rod,  shortened  two  feet, 
just  the  thing  for  this  country  where 
trout  run  small  and  where  there's  no  long 
casting.  I  frequently  run  across  good 
anglers  here  with  five-ounce  rods,  and 
have  seen  two  four-ounce  rods.  There 
is  no  use  for  a  rod  above  four  ounces  in 
weight  and  seven  feet  in  length.  When  I 
come  again  I  shall  use  a  three-ounce  rod. 
The  reel  should  be  the  lightest  and  small- 
est common  cHck,  and  the  line  the  finest 
enameled  silk.  The  flies — here's  the  main 
thing — should  be  the  best,  and  of  the 
smallest  brook  trout  pattern.  Next  year, 
when  I  make  up  my  supply,  I'll  pack 
fully  two  hundred,  and  they'll  be  the  best. 
The  dearest-priced  flies  are  none  too 
good. 


48  The  Brook  Trout. 

Oh,  I  must  say  a  word  about  trout  eat- 
ing before  I  close.  I've  tried  them  in  all 
styles,  and  the  best  way,  I  think,  is 
when  they're  roasted  over  a  camp  fire  on 
a  little  crotch  stick,  one  prong  in  the  head 
and  the  other  in  the  tail.  And  the  worst 
way,  I  think,  is  when  they're  fried  in  a 
pan  with  bad  butter  or  poor  lard. 

Blake  and  I  are  in  our  glory.  Our  only 
displeasure  is  in  knowing  that  our  perspir- 
ing city  friends  are  not  as  comfortable. 
The  days  here  are  warm  and  bright — not 
hot  and  close — and  the  nights  cool  and 
clear,  so  that  we  live  merrily  all  the  time. 

I  went  about  five  blocks  down  the 
stream  in  front  of  the  cabin  to  two  great 
boulders,  one  morning,  and  there,  during 
a  little  sun  shower,  took  d,  salvelinus  fonti- 
nalis  that  weighed  just  a  little  over  two 
pounds  and  a  quarter.  He  rose  to  a  pink- 
ish, cream-colored  fly,  with  little  brown 
spots  on  the  wings.  I  forget  its  name, 
but  it's  one  of  the  six  really  good  ones  I 
referred  to.  Milton  Price  was  with  me 
at  the  capture,  and  we  decided  to  keep 
the  fish  alive,  so  I  took  off  one  of  the 
cords  tied  about  my  trousers  at  the  bot- 


Trouting  in  Canadensis  Valley.      49 

toms  (I  never  wear  wading  boots  in  warm 
weather),  put  it  through  his  gill,  and  tied 
the  other  end  to  a  submerged  tree-root. 
Then  Milton  kept  guard  while  I  ran  to 
the  cabin  for  a  big  pail,  and  then  Mr. 
Trout  was  lodged  in  a  small  box,  with 
bars  tacked  over  the  top,  and  placed  under 
a  spout  running  from  the  old  mill  race. 
He  was  a  big  specimen — large  enough  to 
saddle  and  ride  to  town,  the  cook  said. 
And  pretty — as  pretty  as  a  bunch  of 
lilacs  and  giant  ferns  decked  with  winter 
green  berries. 


IN  THE  POCONO  MOUNTAINS. 

RICHARD  J.  A.   PASTERNACK. 

'Twas  an  employment  for  his  idle  time,  which 
was  then  not  idly  spent,  for  angling  was,  after  tedi- 
ous study,  a  rest  to  his  mind,  a  cheisrer  of  his 
spirits,  a  diverter  of  sadness,  a  calmer  of  unquiet 
thoughts,  a  moderator  of  passions,  a  procurer  of 
contentedness,  and  it  begat  habits  of  peace  and 
patience  in  those  that  professed  and  practiced  it. — 
Izaak  Walton. 

MADE  a  trip  to  Canadensis, 
Pennsylvania,  in  April,  for  a 
few  days'  trout  fishing.  Cana- 
densis is  in  Monroe  County,  in 
the  Pocono  Mountains.  The  nearest 
railroad  station  is  at  Cresco,  on  the  Dela- 
ware, Lackawanna,  and  Western  R.  R. 
Cresco  is  one  hundred  and  ten  miles  from 
New  York.  I  found  first-class  accommo- 
dations at  Brookside  Cottage,  in  the  Can- 
adensis    Valley.     D.    M.    Crane    is    the 


In  the  Pocono  Mountains.  51 

proprietor,  and  he  furnishes  everything 
in  the  way  of  fishing  supplies,  bait,  etc. 

There  are  seven  or  eight  very  good 
trout  streams  in  the  vicinity,  Stony  Run 
being  the  best.  Goose  Pond  Run,  Spruce 
Cabin,  Buckhill  Run,  Brodhead  Run  and 
Bushkill  Run  are  also  very  good.  The 
trout  caught  in  Stony  Run  were  from 
eight  to  sixteen  and  eighteen  inches  in 
length.  In  Brodhead  Run  they  run 
from  eight  to  ten  or  twelve,  as  a  rule, 
although  I  caught  an  eighteen-inch  speci- 
men there. 

The  first  day's  fishing  at  Brodhead 
Run  brought  me  a  nice  mess  of  trout, 
and  the  second  day  at  Stony  Run  I 
had  excellent  play. 

With  a  party  I  drove  over  to  Bushkill 
Run,  which  is  eight  miles  from  Cana- 
densis, but  here  found  the  water  too  high 
for  fishing.  The  snow  was  still  on  the 
mountains,  but  melting  rapidly,  and  this 
was  probably  the  cause  of  the  stream 
being  so  high, 

Mr,  Crane  informs  me  that  fine  bear 
and  deer  hunting  and  grouse  and  hare 
shooting  may   be  had  in  the  autumn  and 


52  The  Brook   Trout. 

winter.  There  is  excellent  duck  shooting 
at  Goose  Pond,  and  also  good  pike  fish- 
ing there. 

I  consider  this  one  of  the  best  places  in 
the  country  for  fishing,  hunting,  and  camp- 
ing. The  water  is  excellent  for  wading. 
The  streams  are  romantic  and  wild,  and 
one  can  walk  miles  without  seeing  a  sin- 
gle person.  There  is  no  place  like  it  in 
New  York  State  or  New  Jersey.  I  met 
with  more  success  here  than  at  any  other 
place. 


THE  TROUTER'S  OUTFIT. 

HE  rod  for  stream  fishing  should 
weigh  from  three  to  six  ounces 
and  measure  in  length  from 
seven  to  nine  feet.  Split  bam- 
boo and  lancewood  are  two  of  the  best 
rod  materials.  If  you  cannot  afford  a 
good  split  bamboo  do  not  buy  a  cheap 
one  ;  choose  a  lancewood. 

The  line  should  be  a  small  sized  water- 
proofed silk  one.     The  reel,  a  small  com- 
mon light  rubber  click,  holding  twenty-five, 
or  thirty-five  yards. 

The  landing  net,  used  to  take  the  fish 
from  the  water  after  being  hooked,  should 
be  made  of  cane  with  linen  netting,  and 
no  metal  about  it.  The  handle  should 
be  about  a  foot  long.  Tie  a  string  to 
the  handle,  tie  the  string  to  a  button  on 
your  coat  under  your  chin,  and  then  toss 
the  net  over  your  back  out  of  the  way. 

The  creel,  or  fish   basket,  a  willow  one 

53 


54  The  Brook  Trout. 

about  the  size  of  a  small  hand  satchel. 
This  should  have  a  leather  strap,  to  be 
slung  over  the  right  shoulder,  allowing 
the  creel  to  rest  on  the  left  hip. 

The  hat  should  be  a  soft  brown  or  gray 
felt  with  two-inch  brim.  This  may  be 
used  as  a  cushion  to  sit  down  upon  on 
rocks  or  in  damp  places. 

The  foot  wear  may  be  either  gum  boots, 
leather  shoes,  or  rubber  wading  trousers. 
If  the  water  is  warm,  wear  leather  shoes, 
and  have  nails  put  in  the  thick  soles  to 
keep  your  feet  from  slipping  in  swift 
water  and  on  slimy  stones.  If  you 
choose  gum  boots,  see  that  they  are  of 
the  light,  thin,  thigh-fitting  sort  and  not 
the  clumsy  affairs  with  straps  attached. 

The   fly   book    for    use  on  the  stream 

should   have    room    for   not  more  than  a 

dozen  flies,  with    pockets  for  leaders,  silk 

cord,   small   shears,  and  other  tools.     A 

larger  book  for  your  general  stock  of  flies 

J  and  leaders   may   be   left   at  your   rural 

I  lodgings  with  your  tackle  box  and  other 

'  traps. 

The  leader,  to  which  are  attached  the 
flies  in  use,  should  be  of  the  finest  quality 


The  Trouter's  Outfit.  55 

of  single  silk  gut,  and  in  length  three 
feet.  Three  or  four  of  these  attached 
make  a  cast. 

The  coat  and  general  clothing  should  be 
of  a  dead-grass,  gray,  or  light  brown  color. 
Have  plenty  of  pockets,  and  tie  a  string 
to  nearly  everything  you  carry  in  them; 
so  you  cannot  lose  them  if  they  fall  from 
your  hands. 

The  flies — every  known  variety  of  trout 
fly,  providing  you  order  only  those  of  the 
finest  make. 

Do  not  undertake  to  go  trouting  stint- 
ingly  equipped,  which  is  not  saying  that 
you  are  to  dress  and  act  like  a  circus 
clown.  But  you  must  be  properly  out- 
fitted. Good  carpenters  make  good 
houses,  but  their  work  is  better  and  more 
pleasant  if  they  have  good  tools. 

The  tyro  who  is  not  fortunate  enough 
to  have  the  friendship  of  a  practical  fisher- 
man to  whom  he  may  apply  for  advice 
should  read  the  various  sportsman's 
publications — Forest  and  Stream,  Shooting 
and  Fishing,  American  Field,  Outing, 
Recreatioti,  Amateur  Sportsman,  Field  and 
Stream,   Sports  Afield,    The  Sportsman's 


56 


The  Brook   Trout. 


Magazine,  and  Woodcraft,  and  the  works 
on  angling  and  ichthyology  by  Izaak 
Walton,  Frank  Forester,  Seth  Green, 
Charles  Hallock,  Wm.  C.  Harris,  Thad- 
deus  Norris,  Genio  C.  Scott,  Fred. 
Mather,  Robert  Roosevelt,  G.  Brown 
Goode,  Kit  Clarke,  Dr.  Jas.  A.  Henshall, 
and  John  Harrington  Keene,  and  make 
a  study  of  the  catalogues  of  the  better 
class  of  sporting-goods  houses. 


LITTLE   CASTS. 

Up   and    Down   Stream,— English    anglers 
sometimes  wade  up  a  stream  and  some  anglers  in 
this  country,  in  order  to  be  English,  or  foolish, 
affect  the  same  ridiculous  proceeding.     Still  there 
is  some  reason  in  this  manner  of  wading  on  the 
part  of  the  old  country's  anglers,  because  where 
they  practice  it  the  water  is  quiet  and  not  alto- 
gether shallow.    Here,  where  our  trout  streams"fv 
are  rapid   and  foaming  as  they  rush  along,  it  is' 
simply  out  of  the  question  to  wade  up  them.     The ; 
walking  is  bad,  you  become  wet,  the  fish  see  you,  \ 
your  flies  drift  toward  you,  your  line  is  slack  all  / 
the  time  and  the  flies  sink  too  often,  and  alto- 
gether you  spoil  the  chances  of  creeling  whatever 
may  be  takable  in  the  water.     On  still,  barely- 
flowing,  deep  waters,  a  line  may  be  cast  in  any 
direction. 


How  TO  Carry  the  Rod.— Joint  your  rod 
only  when  you  reach  the  place  for  angling,  and 
take  it  apart  again  when  you  are  ready  to  leave 
the  water  for  camp,  unless  the  camp  is  on  the 
edge  of  the  lake  or  stream  where  you  fish.  When 
fishing  along  thickly-wooded  banks,  carry  the  rod 
in  front  of  you,  tip  first :  never  pull  it  after  you. 


58  The  Brook  Trout. 

Fasten  the  hook  on  one  of  the  reel  bars,  and  then 
thrust  the  rod's  tip  through  the  branches  or  shrub- 
bery ahead  of  you  when  you  move  along,  casting 
here  and  there.  This  is  not  necessary  when  one 
only  moves  a  step  or  two,  for  then,  if  there  be 
open  space,  the  rod  and  line  may  be  held  clear  of 
the  underbrush  and  branches.     In  all  cases  keep 

the  rod  ahead  of  you. 

* 

*  * 

In  Spite  of  "Puck"  and  "Judge." — That 
old,  faded  yarn  of  the  inexperienced,  to  the  effect 
that  the  bent-pin-fishing  country  boy  can  catch  more 
trout  than  the  properly  equipped  angler  is  again  in 
vogue,  and  the  experienced  rodsters  who  read  it 
are  again  bubbling  over  with  wrathful  indignation. 
No  impracticable  boy,  whether  he  be  of  the  coun- 
try or  of  the  city,  can  excel  the  correctly  rigged, 
careful  fisherman.  The  bent-pin  youth  of  the  farm 
may  outfish  the  unskillful,  showy  tyro  from  the 
city,  but  to  compete  with  the  scientific  angler  he 
would  stand  about  the  same  chance  of  outfishing 
the  expert  as  a  cow  would  stand  fishing  alongside 
of  a  mink. 

*  * 

Colors  of  Trout. — The  color  of  a  trout's 
back  depends  on  the  color  of  the  bottom  of 
the  river,  but  the  trout  which  grow  rapidly 
differ  greatly  in  spots  and  color  from  those 
which  grow  slowly  and  thrive  badly,  and  a  middle- 
aged  trout  differs  in  color  from  an  aged  trout. 
Speaking  generally,  the  young,  healthy,  fast-grow- 


Little  Casts.  59 

ing  fish  will  have  silvery  sides,  white  belly,  and 
plenty  of  well-defined  spots.  The  poorly  fed  fish 
will  have  few  or  no  spots,  a  drab  belly,  and  muddy- 
yellow  sides.    The  old  trout  will  be  particularly 

lank  and  large-headed. 

* 

*  * 

Trout  in  Captivity. — Trout  in  artificial  ponds 
should  be  fed  three  or  four  times  a  week  in  the 
winter  time.  The  food  should  be  cast  in  the 
warmest  part  of  the  day.  There  is  no  natural 
food  in  artificial  ponds,  and  feeding  is  necessary  in 
order  to  keep  the  big  fish  from  eating  their  small 
companions.  In  natural  trout  ponds  fed  by  springs 
so  much  care  need  not  be  exercised  in  winter. 
Air  holes  need  not  be  cut  in  any  ice  that  may 
form,  as  the  springs  afford  a  proper  temperature, 
and  but  little  food,  if  any,  need  be  given  the  fish. 

*  * 
* 

No  Greed.— I  don't  care  if  the  fish  that  I 
catch  weigh  only  a  pound,  no  matter  what  the 
species  may  be.  My  tackle  is  light,  fine,  and  prop- 
erly rigged,  and  with  it,  in  taking  big  fish  or 
half-pound  and  pound  fish,  1  have  just  as  much 
sport  as  the  man  who  uses  heavy,  coarse,  ill-kept 
tackle  on  bigger  game  alone.  The  woodcock — 
the  king  of  game  birds— is  bagged  with  No.  10 
shot,  but  the  sport  of  taking  him  is  quite  as  great 
as  the  shooting  of  fowl  ten  times  his  size. 

*  * 
Transporting  Trout.— To  bring  your  fish 

home,  first  clean  them  carefully,  taking  pains  to 


6o  i  The  Brook  Trout. 

remove  that  little  dark  blood  streak  along  the 
backbone.  Then,  after  wiping  them  dry,  pack 
them  in  ferns  and  be  careful  to  keep  them  sepa- 
rate and  free  from  ice.  Never  send  your  fish  home 
by  express ;  take  them  with  you.  A  box  cannot 
be  checked,  therefore  an  old  packing  trunk  is  a 
handy  thing.  In  this  you  can  also  put  away  your 
coarse  outfit,  such  as  wading  boots,  oil  skins,  and 
landing  net. 

♦ 

*  * 

Angler  vs.  Potster. — Trout  in  the  creel  or 
no  trout  in  the  creel,  the  truly  gentle  angler  never 
complains  of  poor  sport  if  there  be  trout  in  the 
water  he  fishes,  if  the  weather  be  pleasant  and  the 
scenery  fair.  Some  anglers — or  rather  pot  fisher- 
men— judge  their  day  by  the  actual  slaughter  of 
fish.  The  true  rodster  loves  the  pursuit  and 
capture  of  the  fish,  the  bright  day  and  the  beauti- 
ful natural  surroundings  equally  well. 
* 

Trout  in  Mountain  Lakes.— Mr.  Edward 
Sawyer  of  the  Gramercy  Park  ranch  has  studied 
the  problem  of  raising  trout  in  mountain  lakes. 
Proximity  to  a  slaughter-house  is  a  necessary  con- 
dition to  success,  he  thinks.  In  an  artificial  lake, 
however  perfect  it  may  be,  the  fish  want  regular 
and  very  considerable  supplies  of  animal  food. 

* 

*  * 

A-Wheeltothe  Streams. — Mr.  David  Rivers 
writes  me :  "I  ride  my  wheel  to  my  favorite  fish- 


Little  Casts.  6i 

ing  grounds  regularly  in  the  summer  time,  but 
I  carry  no  paraphernalia.  My  rod  and  tackle  box 
are  left  at  the  fireside  of  a  friendly  innkeeper. 
I  am  careful  to  nicely  clean  my  outfit  after  each 
day's  sport.    The  wheel  is  excellent  for  such  trips." 

*  * 

The  Fingerling  Fisher. — It  is  no  extraordi- 
nary thing  to  see  great  big  men  with  a  creel  full 
of  trout,  each  not  over  the  size  of  a  lady's  pen- 
knife. They  fill  their  basket,  have  their  picture 
taken,  and  write  to  friends  in  the  city  glowingly  of 
the  "  hundred  and  fifty  speckled  beauties  "  they 
secured  in  one  day's  play. 

♦ 

*  * 

Lifelike. — Don't  simply  drag  the  fly  through 
the  water.  Work  your  wrist  gently  up  and 
down ;  then  the  lure  will  look  like  a  living 
insect  and  not  a  bunch  of  hair  or  feather.  You 
can't  use  too  light  a  rod  along  mountain  streams 
nor  let  the  fly  fall  too  lightly. 

*  * 

An  Ideal  Time.— The  last  two  weeks  in 
June — what  better  period  for  brook  trout  fish- 
ing in  the  rich  flower-lined  mountain  streams? 
When  does  the  wild  shrub  smell  sweeter  than 
now,  the  wind  blow  more  balmily,  the  songbirds 
trill  livelier,  and  the  spotted  trout  bite  better  } 

* 

*  * 

To  Extract  Hooks. — To  extract  fish-hooks 
from  your  flesh  or  clothing,  cut  the  leader  free  and 


62  The  Brook  Trout. 

push  the  hook  on  through,  depressing  the  upper 
end  so  as  to  bring  the  point  out  as  near  as  possible 
to  where  it  went  in.  Don't  try  to  pull  the  hook 
back  over  the  barb. 

* 

*  * 

Tame  Trout. — An  English  gentleman  has  two 
brook  trout  that  take  flies  from  his  fingers,  and  that 
ring  a  little  bell  cord  when  they  are  hungry. 
They  were  taught  this  latter  performance  by  hav- 
ing bits  of  food  tied  to  the  cord  when  it  was  first 

introduced. 

* 

Variety. — You  can  never  carry  too  many  trout 
flies  on  your  trip.  Fill  your  fly-book  and  stick 
them  all  over  the  crown  of  your  hat  besides. 
Trout  do  not  like  the  same  fly  at  all  times  any 
more  than  you  are  fond  of  feeding  on  one  sort  of 
meat. 

*  * 

Landing  the  Trout.— The  proper  time  to 
spend  in  landing  a  fish  all  depends  upon  the 
condition  of  your  fishing  ground.  Lead  your  prize 
away  from  obstructions,  keep  the  line  taut,  and  do 
not  nervously  hurry  the  play.     Take  your  time. 

* 

*  * 

Destroying  the  Streams. — Discourage  the 
indiscriminate  cutting  down  of  trees.  The  de- 
struction of  forest  land  means  the  drying  up  of 
trout  waters  and  the  devastation  of  drinking 
water. 


Little  Casts.  63 

Knots  in  Rodwood.— Don't  switch  a  light 

rod  sideways.     The  maker  may  have   purposely 

put  a  knot  to  one  side,  and  this  would  cause  the 

rod  to  snap. 

* 

*  * 

The  Bungler. — Yarns  and  bragging  puffs  by 
bungling  would-be  fishermen  annoy  the  practical 
man  and  puzzle  the  earnest  tyro.  The  record  of 
honest  sport  is  entertaining  and  instructive. 

*  * 

Striking  and  Hooking.— Nothing  is  more 
difficult  to  learn  about  fly  fishing  than  the  art  of 
striking  or  hooking  the  game. 
* 

Discrimination.— Do  not  worry  if  the  fish  are 
small ;  reduce  your  tackle.  A  vest  pocket  watch 
keeps  just  as  good  time  as  a  town-hall  clock. 

* 

*  * 

Sportsmanship. — Chivalry  to  his  companion 
and  humane  treatment  to  the  game  he  pursues  are 
the  true  sportman's  axioms. 

*"* 
Trout    Destroyers. — Eels    are    ruinous    to 
trout.     They  eat  trout  spawn,  and  they  should  be 
removed  from  all  trout  waters. 

* 

*  * 

Woodcraft. — A  good,  simple  way  to  find  a 
road  or  dwelling,  if  you  are  lost  in  the  woods,  is 
to  follow  down  a  stream. 


64  The  Brook  Trout. 

Motion  of  the  Fly. — In  clear,  smooth  water 
let  the  fly  sink  a  little,  then  move  it  along  with  a 
quick  motion. 

*  * 

Feeding-Time. — Fish  are  said  to  bite  between 
the  new  moon  and  the  first,  quarter,  the  best,  or 
between  the  last  quarter  and  the  change. 

♦ 

*  * 

Clumsy  Lures. — Most  trout  flies  are  too  large, 
and  they  serve  more  to  frighten  the  fish  than  lure 

it  in  many  cases. 

* 

*  * 

Constancy. — The  assiduous  man  among 
anglers  is  the  fish  getter. 

♦ 

*  * 

Be  Calm.— Don't  hurry  a  big  fish.  Kill  him 
as  far  from  you  as  possible. 

* 

*  * 

The  Best  of  the  Apostles — Peter,  Andrew, 
James,  and  John — were  fishermen. 

* 

*  * 

Your  Shadow. — Never  let  your  shadow  fall 
upon  the  water  when  angling. 

* 

*  * 

Naturalness.— In  fly  fishing  the  lure  must 
always  be  in  motion. 

*  * 

Ancient  Lessons. — Parts  of  the  Old  Testament 
teach  fish  catching  with  both  seine  and  hooks. 


'M 


I 


TACKLE  TALKS. 

All-time  Flies. — For  the  young  angler  who 
does  not  care  to  go  into  the  study  of  artificial  trout 
flies  and  their  seasons  I  will  give  here  a  list  that 
may  be  used  at  all  times,  during  legal  seasons,  and 
on  all  waters:  Alder,  gray  and  green  palmer, 
ginger  palmer,  March  brown,  Reuben  Wood,  pro- 
fessor, white  miller,  coachman,  royal  coachman, 
codun,  scarlet  ibis,  dark  coachman,  brown  and 
red  palmer,  grizzly  king,  queen  of  the  water,  king 
of  the  water,  brown  hen,  and  blackgnat.  Early  in 
the  season  use  hooks  from  No.  6  to  8;  later  No.  8 
to  12.  Use  the  small  ones  on  streams  and  the 
large  ones  on  lakes  and  rough  waters ;  and,  as  I 
have  previously  remarked,  when  the  day  is  bright 
and  where  the  water  is  clear,  use  the  small  pat- 
terns of  plain  colors  ;  on  dark  days  and  in  the  even- 
ing, use  the  large  bright  flies. 


Knife  and  Shears. — A  small  pair  of  scissors 
attached  to  a  string  and  fastened  to  the  angler's 
coat  are  most  useful  companions  along  the  stream. 
They  are  much  more  easily  operated  than  a  knife; 
they  save  time,  and  while  one  may  do  with  them 
nearly  all  that  can  be  done  with  the  knife,  they  will 
6s 


66  The  Brook  Trout. 

render  a  service  that  cannot  be  obtained  from  the 
single  blade.  A  knife  should  always  be  carried, 
nevertheless,  and  the  proper  one  for  the  trout 
angler  is  that  newly  invented  thing  which  requires 
no  finger-nail  work  and  which  is  made  ready  for 
service  by  a  mere  pressure  of  the  thumb  on  the 
top  of  the  handle. 

♦ 

*  * 

Trouting  Outfit. — Here's  a  plain,  practical 
reasonable-price  outfit  with  no  unnecessary  items  : 
A  four-ounce  lancewood  fly  rod,  a  common  rub- 
ber click  reel  to  hold  twenty-five  yards  of  fine 
water-proof  silk  line,  a  seventy-five-cent  cane 
landing-net,  small  and  with  no  metal  on  it,  a 
seventy-five-cent  creel,  a  dozen  of  the  best  made 
and  highest  priced  assorted  trout-flies,  a  pair  of 
waders,  and  a  dollar's  worth  of  the  finest  and  best 
made  silk  gut  leaders. 

*  * 

Rod  Dressing. — To  whip  rings  or  guideson  the 
rod  use  silk  twist,  drawing  the  final  end  through  a 
few  coils  of  the  whipping  by  means  of  a  loose  loop. 
To  revarnish,  wipe  off  all  grease  stains,  and  dress 
lightly  down  with  the  best  copal.  To  reblacken 
brasses,  mix  a  little  lamp-blacking  with  spirit  var- 
nish. Dress  once  or  twice  and  let  the  dressing 
thoroughly  dry  before  using  the  copal. 


Buy  Your  Tackle. — The  old  anglers   tied 
their  flies  themselves,  and,  in  fact,  made  all  their 


Tackle  Talks.  6y 

rods  and  tackle,  save,  perhaps,  lines.  To-day  few 
anglers  think  of  tying  flies  or  preparing  any  tackle, 
owing  to  the  expertness  and  moderate  terms  on 
the  part  of  dealers.  It  is  much  cheaper  to  buy 
tackle  outright   as  it  is  to  buy  gun  shells  ready 

loaded. 

* 
*  * 

To  Remove  a  Ferrule.— Hold  it  over  the 
flame  of  a  spirit  lamp  or  any  flame  until  the  cem- 
ment  is  softened.  If  it  has  been  pinned  on,  take  a 
large  needle,  break  it  off  squarely,  put  it  on  the  pin, 
and  strike  just  hard  enough  to  set  the  pin  below 
the  ferrule,  then  warm  and  remove. 


Dyed  Feathers.— Some  say  that  no  dyed 
feathers  should  be  used  in  tying  flies.  We  have 
always  found  dyed  feathers  practicable. — London 
Rod  and  Gun.  But  the  fact  remains,  neverthe- 
less, that  all  dyed  feathers  will  fade  to  a  damaging 

extent. 

* 

The  Joints. — If  your  rod  joints  go  together 

harshly  or  do  not  come  apart  with  ease,  oil  them 

lightly.     See  that  no  sand  or  any  dirt  gets  in  the 

ferrules.     To  take  the  joints  apart  easily  when  they 

are  tightly  set,  gently  warm  the  metal. 

* 
*  * 

Rubber  Bands. — Little  rubber  bands  are  prac- 
tical items  of  a  sportsman's  outfit.  One  real 
service  they  render  is  in  holding  the  fly  rod  joints 


68  The  Brook  Trout. 

together  when  you  travel  through  the  woods  after 
your  day's  fishing. 


Cork  Handle. — To  avoid  bHsters  on  the 
hand,  have  the  handle  of  your  rod  covered  with 
cork  instead  of  cane,  twine,  or  rubber.  It  will  pre- 
vent the  hand  from  slipping,  is  pleasant  to  tlie 
touch,  and  very  light  in  weight. 

*  * 

Smooth  Ferrules. — Before  jointing  your  rod, 
oil  the  male  ferrules  with  vaseline,  or  by  rubbing 
them  on  the  back  of  your  neck.  This  will  pre- 
vent the  joints  from  becoming  tight  after  the 
day's  sport. 

*  * 

Vegetable  Lures. — Bearded  seed  of  the  wild 
oat  has  been  successfully  used  as  artificial  flies  in 
fishing  for  brook  trout,  and  bass  have  struck  sav- 
agely at   a  silvery  willow  leaf   flailed  upon   the 

water. 

* 

*  * 

To  Carry  Flies. — Do  not  use  your  big  fly 
book  when  wading.  Put  a  half-dozen  killing  pat- 
terns in  your  hatband,  and  a  dozen  more  in  a  little 
book  that  will  not  bulge  out  your  pocket. 

* 

*  * 

Be  Particular. — The  finer  the  tackle  the 
fairer  the  sport. 


Tackle  Talks.  69 

Care  of  the  Rod.— See  that  your  rod-case  is 
thoroughly  dry  before  you  put  your  rod  in  it,  and 
always  tie  the  case-strings  loosely  or  you  will  have 
bent  tips  and  joints. 


Position  of  Reel.— The  reel  of  a  bait-rod 
should  be  on  the  top  side  of  the  rod,  in  front  of  the 
handle  :  that  of  a  fly  rod  on  the  under  side  below 
the  handle. 

« 
«  * 

Early-Season  Flies.— Dark  stone,  codun, 
alder,  Bowman,  black  May.  beauty,  Ben  Bent, 
blue  bottle,  hare's  ear. 


BORROWED   THOUGHTS. 

When  trout  are  taking  the  fly  on  the  surface, 
and  are  not  simply  feeding  on  the  larvas  as  they 
swim  upward,  a  brand  new  fly  is  more  likely 
to  catch  a  fish  than  one  which  has  been  a  great 
deal  used.  I  always  use  May-flies  dressed  on 
eyed  hooks,  have  a  goodly  supply,  and  when  one 
gets  so  wet  as  to  necessitate  a  considerable  amount 
of  labor  in  the  drying  of  it,  off  it  comes,  and  is 
stuck  in  my  cap  to  dry  at  its  leisure.  Of  course  it 
is  rather  wasting  to  the  cast — this  frequent  chang- 
ing flies — and  no  little  trouble  to  those  whose 
fingers  are  all  thumbs,  and  whose  eyesight  is  be- 
coming dim,  but  it  is  far  less  trouble  to  change  the 
fly  than  to  dry  it  when  thoroughly  soaked. — Lon- 
don Fishing  Gazette. 

When  the  learner  becomes  accustomed  to  han- 
dling his  rod,  he  must  try  to  perfect  himself  in  two 
matters  of  great  importance — accuracy  and  deli- 
cacy. Place  a  small  piece  of  paper  fifteen  or 
twenty  feet  away,  and  aim  at  making  the  knot  in 
the  end  of  the  line  fall  easily  and  quietly  upon  it. 
Your  efforts  will  be  aided  if  you  will  raise  the  point 
of  the  rod  a  trifle  just  as  the  forward  impulse  of  the 
linfs  is  spent,  and  the  line  itself  is  straightened 


Borrowed  Thoughts.  71 

in  the  air  for  an  instant  in  front.  This  is  a  novel 
kind  of  target  shooting,  but  its  usefulness  will  be 
realized  when  the  angler  finds  it  necessary  to  drop 
his  flies  lightly  just  over  the  head  of  some  wary 
trout.— Ripley  Hitchcock. 

Reader,  did  you  ever  throw  the  fly  to  tempt  the 
silvery  denizen  of  the  lake  or  river  to  his  destruc- 
tion ?  Have  you  watched  him,  as  it  skimmed  like 
a  living  insect  along  the  surface,  dart  from  his 
hiding-place  and  rush  upon  the  tempting  but  de- 
ceitful morsel.'  Have  you  noticed  his  astonish- 
ment when  he  found  the  hook  was  in  his  jaw  ? 
Have  you  watched  him  as  he  bent  your  slender  rod 
"  like  a  reed  shaken  by  the  wind,"  in  his  efforts  to 
free  himself,  and  then  have  you  reeled  him  to  your 
hand  and  deposited  him  in  your  basket  as  the  spoil 
of  your  right  arm  ?  If  you  have  not,  leave  the  dull, 
monotonous,  everyday  things  around  you  and  try 
it.— S.  S.  Hammond. 

There  is  much  diversity  of  opinion  about  the 
manner  of  fishing,  whether  up  or  down  the 
stream.  The  great  majority  of  anglers,  both  in 
Europe  and  this  country,  favor  the  latter  method, 
and  very  few  the  former.— JOHN  J.  Brown. 


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